


The Farmer's Daughter

by persephoneggsy



Series: FemRhack Fics [10]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Flirting, City Slicker Jack, Crushes, F/F, Farm Girl Rhys, Fem!Handsome Jack - Freeform, Fem!Rhys, Fluff, Genderbending, Girls Kissing, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Protective Dad Wilhelm, Shovel Talk, Single Mother Jack, Wilhelm is Rhys's Dad, but futuristic enough to have cybernetic prosthetics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24567862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephoneggsy/pseuds/persephoneggsy
Summary: Jack goes to visit her old friend Wilhelm after he retires to run a farm outside of the city. While there, she also meets his daughter, Rhys.She'd heard of Rhys before, of course. She just sort of figured she was a little girl, the way Wilhelm talked about her.She isn't. And now Jack is in trouble.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Others (past), Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Series: FemRhack Fics [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647343
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	The Farmer's Daughter

**Author's Note:**

> idk yall with everything going on right now i just needed something light and sweet to make me feel a little better
> 
> for reference, Wilhelm is 48, Jack is 35, and Rhys is 23

* * *

The sun was laying it on thick that morning. As soon as Jack stepped foot outside of her car, she could feel the waves of heat beating down on her, and she counted herself lucky that she opted to show up in just her jeans, sneakers, and a rumpled dress shirt.

She surveyed her surroundings. Parked along the dirt road was a charming yet modest two-story home; white paneling and pastel blue roofing, like something out of a picture book. A bright red barn was a little ways behind it, as well as a greenhouse, space for the livestock to roam, and a little outdoor garden, absolutely filled to the brim with beautiful flowers.

All in all, a very quaint little farm, and not at all the place Jack thought Wilhelm would’ve ended up.

Speaking of, the man himself must’ve noticed her arrival, because he was emerging from the front door. He was even dressed the part of a farmer, with his denim chambray shirt, sturdy jeans, and heavy work boots already caked with soil.

Jack shot him a grin as he came down the stairs of his porch to greet her.

“Wilhelm! You were expecting me?”

Her old friend’s mouth twitched a half-grin. “You said you’d drop by. And not many people come around these parts in a car like  _ that.” _

He gestured to Jack’s obnoxiously yellow sports car, to which she shrugged.

“It’s my most low-key car, Wil.”

“Of course it is.” Wilhelm reached the bottom of the steps and finished crossing over to her. His smile was genuine now. “It’s good to see you, Jackie.”

“You too, Wil.” The two shared a brief hug, Wilhelm squeezing her hard enough to make her wheeze. When they separated, Wilhelm clapped her on the back and began leading her inside.

“Come on, you must be thirsty.”

He led her through the house, which was decorated just as charmingly as one would expect. Little tchotchkes here and there, decorative throw pillows, and framed family photos, including several of Wil, a woman Jack didn’t recognize, and a little girl.

She smiled to herself as Wilhelm led her into the kitchen. She’d known, of course, that Wil had a daughter. It was one of the things they discovered they had in common back when he still lived in the city. Jack had her Angel, Wil had his… what was her name again? Rhea? Something with an R.

Jack was sad to see Wilhelm move, but at least he was able to spend more time with his family.

“So where’s the missus?” she asked, sliding into the offered seat at the dining table.

Wilhelm went to rummage through the fridge, answering as he did. “She lives in the town, with her boyfriend.”

Jack blinked. “Oh. I thought… S-Sorry?”

Wilhelm huffed out a laugh, emerging with two cold cans of beer in his hands. He gave one to Jack before sitting in the seat opposite to her.

“Nah, don’t be. We tried picking things up when I moved here, but it didn’t work out. Still friends. Not too sure about that boyfriend of hers, but, eh.” He shrugged, cracking open his beer.

Jack hummed, doing the same and taking a sip. “What about your daughter?”

“Oh, Rhys? She lives with me. I think she’s out in the greenhouse right about now.”

The woman grinned, imagining a little girl around Angel’s age tending to all those plants.

The two spent the next few minutes catching up on all that happened in the years since Wilhelm left.

Wilhelm took ownership of the farm from his ex, which she was only too happy to give – she was never one for that much responsibility, apparently. He hired a few farm hands from the nearby town to help out, and of course, he had his daughter happy to lend a hand wherever she could.

On Jack’s side, not much had changed. She had her hands full with running Hyperion and raising Angel, but she still had her brother Tim helping out. Athena took Wilhelm’s job as Head of Security, though right now she was on her honeymoon with Janey.

“Good for them,” nodded Wilhelm. “Sorry I missed the wedding.”

“Everyone missed the wedding,” Jack rolled her eyes. “They eloped. Something about Athena’s crazy sisters. Ah, well. Didn’t have a date for a wedding, anyway.”

At that, Wilhelm raised an eyebrow. “So things with Nisha didn’t work out?”

Jack grimaced. “Not really. We’re still friends, but… Let’s be real, that relationship was all physical. She never really connected with Angel, you know?”

Wilhelm nodded. “Still. Sorry, Jackie. I know dating can be rough.”

She gave him a sardonic grin and took one last chug of her beer, setting the empty can aside on the table. “I think I’m done with dating, honestly. Destined for single parenthood, that’s me. Don’t need anybody but my Angel.”

Wilhelm opened his mouth to reply, but then they heard the front door open, and footsteps approaching the kitchen.

“Dad!” a feminine voice called out. “Did you see that car parked outside?!”

A few seconds later, a young woman of about twenty or so emerged, and Jack was awestruck. She was  _ gorgeous –  _ even with the bootcut jeans and baggy flannel shirt, Jack could tell she had a rocking body, and that was to say nothing of her pretty face. Bright, wide, and blue-and-brown eyes stared at Jack, soft pink lips parted in surprise, and her pale skin was creamy and flawless, save for a few smudges of dirt here and there. A cute, short bob of brunette hair framed her face like a painting, and – wait did she just call Wilhelm  _ ‘dad’? _

As if to confirm Jack’s suspicions, Wilhelm answered.

“Yes, Roo, I know. That particular eyesore belongs to my old buddy here.” He turned to said old buddy. “Jack, this is my daughter, Rhys.”

Jack’s mouth was agape. “I-I… Oh.”

Rhys, at least, was similarly flustered. She brushed her hands down her front as if to wipe them clean, and sent Jack a shy smile.

“Oh, it’s nice to finally meet you! Dad talks about you a lot!”

Luckily, that snapped Jack out of her daze, and she smiled back, although hers was a bit more strained.

“It’s nice to meet you, too. Sorry, I just figured from the way Wilhelm talked about you that you were… younger.”

Wilhelm snorted, while his daughter looked confused. “What, like around Angel’s age? I never said that.”

“You also never said she was so pretty,” Jack threw in, winking at Rhys – who, to her absolute delight, flushed an attractive shade of pink. “You must get that from your mother.”

“O-Oh, um,” Rhys giggled nervously, brushing a stray hair behind her ear – it was then Jack noticed the gleam of metal, and realized her right arm was a prosthetic. Judging by the dull green, it was a Dahl model. Ew.

Jack would’ve gotten a better look, had Wilhelm not interrupted her.

“Right, well. Roo, I’m gonna show Jack here around the farm. Why don’t you get on back to your chores?”

Rhys startled, like she forgot her father was even present. She fidgeted with her shirt and kept casting shy glances at Jack. “O-Okay. Will… Will Miss Jack be joining us for dinner?”

Wilhelm sent the older woman a stern look. “If she can  _ behave,  _ maybe,” he muttered. “Go on, get.”

Rhys quickly scurried out of the kitchen, leaving the two older adults alone. Wilhelm turned to Jack with an accusatory frown.

“Don’t even think about it, Jack.”

Jack held up her hands. “What? I didn’t do anything!”

“ _ ’You never said she was so pretty’ _ ,” repeated Wilhelm, in a mocking approximation of Jack’s voice. “That’s my  _ daughter.” _

Jack flinched. “I know, I know. Sorry. It was a reflex.”

Wilhelm grunted.

“… In my defense, she  _ is  _ really pretty. Frickin’  _ Dahl  _ arm notwithstanding.”

“Oh, don’t start,” Wilhelm rolled his eyes. “She’s had that thing for years, it’s never given her any trouble.”

“Yeah, but Hyperion’s cybernetics are so much better. You can’t disagree with that!”

She looked pointedly at Wilhelm’s legs. Covered in denim as they were, they both knew that underneath, from the knees down, Wilhelm had shiny yellow-and-black cybernetics, gifted courtesy of Jack herself. Which, actually, reminded Jack…

“Does she, uh,” she began awkwardly, “have the same… condition, as you?”

A somber look settled on Wilhelm’s face, but he shook his head. “No, thank god. She lost her arm in a riding accident when she was about seven. Some punk spooked her horse into bucking her off and it got trampled.”

“Eesh.” Jack winced in sympathy. “Well… If she ever wants a full upgrade, you know who to call.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Jackie.”

From there, Wilhelm did take Jack on a tour of the farm. She saw the small supply of livestock, including a few cows and sheep, a stable for horses, a chicken coop, and she even met a few of the hired farm hands, most of whom seemed to regard Jack shrewdly. Which, she supposed, she understood. For all her casual wear unsuited to a wealthy CEO, one couldn’t ignore her overstyled hair or shiny wristwatch worth more than what they likely made in a month.

Still didn’t mean it didn’t piss her off, though.

Luckily, nothing came to blows, because as annoying as the farm hands were, Jack kept catching glimpses of Rhys during the tour. Mostly, the younger woman seemed to tend to the plants and flowers, though at some point Jack caught her running to and fro with a pail she assumed was for milking.

The sight of the shy and beautiful Rhys was enough to keep Jack’s temper in check, though each glance her way was accompanied with a sharp reminder of  _ no Jack, this one is off limits.  _ Wilhelm’s repeated judgmental glares were enough proof of that.

Ah, well. Like Jack said earlier, she was pretty much done with dating. And dating your close friend’s daughter was just asking for trouble, wasn’t it?

She didn’t end up staying for dinner – a work emergency prevented that. So she bid Wilhelm goodbye, with the promise that she’d visit again soon, maybe with Angel.

She caught one last glimpse of Rhys as she was pulling her car out of the dirt-paved driveway. She was in the window of the kitchen, staring out in Jack’s direction. For a moment, their eyes met, but the younger woman quickly looked away and disappeared from view.

Jack held back a wistful sigh, and drove home.

* * *

A couple of weeks had passed since Jack’s initial visit to the farm, and she’d almost managed to push the image of Rhys out of her mind. Until the call, that is.

She’d been in her office, on a particularly slow day. All her meetings were taken care of, and she hadn’t been expecting any calls at all, much less one on her personal cell phone. But that was the one that rang, startling Jack away from her reports.

It was an unknown number, which made Jack narrow her eyes suspiciously. Still, she opted to answer it.

“Jack Lawrence, who is this?” she said snappishly.

There were a few seconds of silence, before a hesitant but familiar voice came through. “Miss Jack? It’s, um, Rhys? Wilhelm’s daughter?”

Jack immediately straightened her back. “Rhys? How did you get my number?” She didn’t give it to her, right? No way Wilhelm would’ve let that slide. So – ?

“My dad told me,” Rhys answered, before Jack's imagination could spiral out of control. “He said you mentioned something about, um, an upgrade? For my arm?”

Jack paused. Apparently for just a second too long, because Rhys immediately began to backtrack.

“I-I’m sorry, you must be so busy! I can just call back later– !”

“No,” blurted Jack, surprising herself with how desperate she was to keep the call going. “No, you’re fine. You actually caught me on a pretty slow day.”

“Oh… good. S-So, um…”

Jack felt herself smile, just imagining Rhys’s flustered face. She decided to spare the poor girl and took over the conversation.

“So, you’re ready to ditch that piece of junk? No offense.”

Delightfully, Rhys laughed. “None taken. The darn wrist gave out when I was trying to move some boxes.”

“You alright?”

“I’m fine. We just lost a few eggs, is all. Dad wants the arm fixed as soon as possible, which is when he mentioned you, and, well…”

“I got it.” Jack bit her lip, considering her next words carefully. “I could come down there and repair it myself, if you don’t want to go through all the trouble of coming up and looking through our selection.”

“O-Oh, well, actually,” Rhys floundered, “I was really hoping for a new arm, if that isn’t too much to ask… It probably is, isn’t it?”

“Not at all. I told your dad as much. You don’t mind coming all the way up here, though? Can you drive?”

“I can, but with my wrist…”

“Right… I could send a car? Provided Wilhelm’s alright with that,” she amended.

“I’ll go ask him!” Rhys responded, sounding cheerful.

A few minutes passed, wherein Jack could hear the muted sounds of her walking through her house, and the conversation with Wilhelm. He didn’t  _ sound  _ annoyed, which was probably a good sign. Rhys confirmed as much when her lovely voice came through Jack’s phone again.

“He said it was fine, as long as I’m home before six!”

“Great,” said Jack, trying to contain the relief she felt. “I’ll send my driver to pick you up. His name’s Blake, he should be there in an hour.”

She could practically hear Rhys beaming on the other end of the line. “Thank you so much, Miss Jack!”

“Just Jack is fine, you know,” she replied, smiling.

“R-Right! Thank you, Jack…”

“No problem, Rhysie. See you in two hours.”

“B-Bye!”

Jack hung up, still smiling to herself. Right away, she sent a text to Blake, giving him Wilhelm’s address with instructions to pick up Rhys and bring her back to the office. After that, she called her head of cybernetics and told him to bring up their most advanced arm designs. They could get measurements and other preferences from Rhys later. Through it all, Jack felt a giddy anticipation in her that she hadn’t felt in quite a while – not since her first date with Nisha almost five years ago.

But this wasn’t a date, Jack reminded herself. This was just her, helping out the daughter of a very close friend who she respected very much.

That was it.

She ignored the voice in the back of her head snorting ‘yeah, right’, and kept readying things for Rhys’s arrival.

Sure enough, around two hours later (give or take, not that Jack was keeping track or anything), Jack got the notification from her secretary that a “Miss Rhys Priddy” had arrived, and the CEO gave the go ahead for her to come in.

Jack thought she was sufficiently prepared. She wasn’t.

Rhys walked into her office, all dolled up. Gone were the jeans and baggy flannel shirts – in their place was a floral-printed yellow dress, which stopped just below Rhys’s thighs, showing off unfairly long and supermodel-esque legs.

_ Hoo boy. _

Jack, miraculously, powered through her cutie-induced stupor and offered Rhys her most confident and charming grin. It seemed to work, as Rhys smiled shyly in return, raising her flesh arm to wave hello.

It was then Jack noticed her cybernetic – as Rhys said, the wrist was clearly broken, the hand flopping uselessly as Rhys walked towards her. Jack knew Dahl couldn’t hold up.

“Wow,” came Rhys’s voice, catching Jack’s attention again. The younger woman was looking around her office with awe. Specifically, at the tall windows behind Jack’s desk. “You can see the entire city from here!”

Jack chuckled, stepping aside and allowing Rhys to get closer to the windows. She gazed out at the city with childlike wonder.

“Never been to Helios before?” she asked.

Rhys shook her head. “No, I have. The shopping district has farmer’s markets sometimes, I sell my fruits and vegetables there… But I’ve never seen the whole city just… laid out like this!” She turned to Jack with a wide smile. “This is amazing!”

“Yeah…” Jack found herself saying. “Yeah, I guess it is.” Now all too aware of Rhys’s eyes on her, Jack coughed into her fist and turned away. “A-Anyway, I’ve got some designs here. Take a look, see what you like.”

She gestured to the sitting area just a few feet away from her desk. Tucked into a corner was a sofa and a few comfortable chairs, as well as a large table where the latest cybernetic arm designs were laid out.

Rhys gasped and ran over to the table. Jack followed her, albeit at a more leisurely pace.

“These are incredible!” gushed the younger woman, her fingers hovering reverently above a particular model.

“Go ahead and touch, kitten,” Jack said, and then immediately cringed at herself after. Luckily, Rhys was too enthralled with the models to notice. Jack shook her head and sat on the sofa, watching the other woman admire the cybernetics. She really had to turn off the flirting. Seriously,  _ ‘kitten’? _

“We’ve got at least six models of our current line out in production right now,” she opted to speak more technically, using her sales pitch voice. “The differences are mostly cosmetic. Just pick the one you like the most and we’ll get your measurements.”

“What’re the specs?” asked Rhys, unexpectedly. Jack looked at her in surprise, but the younger woman was holding aloft one of the models in her flesh hand, scrutinizing the joints.

“Um. What do you prefer?”

Rhys blinked, as if suddenly realizing what she’d said. She blushed, setting the model back on its stand. “I-I mean… As long as it’s sturdy enough to handle my chores, it should be fine…”

Jack raised an eyebrow. Glancing down at Rhys’s current arm, she noticed something. Without a word, she reached for the green-and-grey metal and pulled it towards her for closer inspection. Rhys squeaked, but for once, Jack paid her no mind.

“… There’s been a lot of modification done on this,” Jack said, after a few moments. And it was true – the layman might not have been able to tell, but a professional like Jack could.

Mismatched screws, and paint, though whoever had done the modifications had tried their best to match the original. It was most evident in the fingers; Dahl tended to have blocky, industrial-looking fingers on their cybernetics, valuing efficiency over appearance. But Rhys’s fingers were smooth and slender, if a little crooked in some places.

Jack glanced up, and found Rhys looking sheepish.

“I, um. It’s just a hobby,” she said at last. “Sometimes my arm would break a little and I didn’t want to bother Dad into buying me repairs, so I just… learned to do them myself?”

Jack spoke gingerly. “Rhys… That’s incredible.”

The woman blinked. “It… is?”

“How long ago did you switch out the fingers?”

“Oh, uh…. about… three years ago?”

Jack thought back to a few weeks ago, when she saw Rhys doing her chores. Her fingers were working perfectly, moving like any piece off the assembly line, so Jack hadn’t noticed it then.

“Your dad said your arm never gave you trouble before.”

“I never told him,” admitted Rhys. “I didn’t want him to waste money on something I could just take care of myself… There are a lot of really good tutorial videos on the internet, it wasn’t that hard.”

Jack stared. “… you’re really something else, Rhys. I didn’t think you were the type.”

At that, Rhys pouted. “What, smart? Just because I’m a girl out in the country I shouldn’t know anything about tech?”

The older woman startled. “W–! Okay, no, I did  _ not  _ say that!”

“I…” Rhys deflated, looking away. “I know. Sorry. I just… get that a lot.”

“Well, not from me,” Jack said firmly. “Trust me, I know how hard it is for a woman to be taken seriously in this field. You’re very impressive, cupcake.”

Rhys giggled. “Cupcake?”

“I –!” Jack felt her face heat up, and she looked away. “You know what I meant. You could do a lot more if this was only what you taught yourself. Ever consider going to school for engineering?”

“Oh, well… I did think about it, but for computer programming. But college is expensive, and I thought I should help Dad out at the farm after Mom moved out…”

“Does Wilhelm know?” asked Jack. She hoped not. Wilhelm didn’t seem the type to hold his daughter back, at least not on purpose.

“I don’t think so?” Rhys said, tilting her head quizzically. “Why?”

Jack stared at her innocent expression. “… No reason,” she murmured. “Anyway… computer programming, huh?”

Rhys brightened. “Oh, yeah. I was in the programming club in high school. Which was really just me and a handful of friends, but, you know. Actually, I think one of them works here, now.”

“Oh? Well, maybe after we pick out an arm you can go say hi.”

“That would be nice… Thank you, Jack.” Rhys’s features softened. “You’ve been really sweet.”

“Of course I’m sweet,” said Jack. “Who said I wasn’t sweet?”

“My dad,” grinned Rhys. “He says you’re whiny and selfish.”

“That freaking…” Jack muttered. “He’s just not afraid of me because I’m not his boss anymore…”

“Well, I don’t believe him, if that helps. A whiny and selfish person wouldn’t do all this.” She looked at all the models on the table with a happy smile.

Ridiculous as it sounded, Jack felt her heart skip a beat. God damn it, she was in trouble.

She tore her eyes away from the younger woman and focused on the array of cybernetics. “L-Let’s get you a new arm, Rhys.”

* * *

A few hours later, Rhys was headed back home, a shiny new Hyperion cybernetic sitting comfortably in her shoulder socket. Ideally, Jack would’ve replaced that, too, but that would’ve required surgery, and she wasn’t about to get into what she was sure was a fight with Wilhelm over it. Besides, she was sure Rhys would’ve refused on principle.

Before all that, though, Rhys did get to say hi to her friend; after Jack looked up his name – Vaughn Whitaker – they took a quick trip down to Accounting. Jack tried not to feel jealous as Rhys was clearly overjoyed to see him, and it was definitely mutual. They  _ hugged,  _ for god’s sake.

She also tried not to feel smug when Vaughn noticed her standing a few feet away and how her presence clearly scared the piss out of him.

Anyway, Rhys got her brand new arm and went on her way back to the farm after that, and Jack was left feeling both satisfied and… wanting.

She just kept thinking about Rhys, who was apparently not just gorgeous and polite, but smart? And  _ still her best friend’s kid? _

In what world was  _ that  _ fair?

Jack kept thinking about it, even days later. It didn’t help that she got a few texts from Rhys, telling her that the arm was working like a dream.

She signed her freaking texts with smiley emojis, damn it.

Her mood must’ve been noticed by her daughter, because one evening at dinner, it was commented on.

“Mommy?” Angel asked, pulling Jack’s attention away from her food. Not that she was giving it much attention – mostly she was just pushing her peas around.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Are you okay?” her daughter’s young face twisted in concern. “You’ve been really mopey lately.”

Jack gasped dramatically. “Mopey?  _ Me?  _ I don’t know what you’re talking about, pumpkin!”

Angel rolled her eyes. “Yes you do! You’ve been all quiet and broody except when you get a text and then you look super happy! And then you go right back to being mopey again!”

Jack stared at the ten-year-old, surprised at her observant nature. Then again, Angel was smarter than most kids her age, so maybe she shouldn’t have been shocked.

“I’m… It’s nothing, Angel. Just some work stuff.”

Angel narrowed her eyes. “You get those texts on your non-work phone.”

Shit. “What, I’m not allowed to have friends?”

“Is your friend making you mopey?”

“ _ No,  _ because I’m not being mopey,” she retorted. “Seriously, baby girl, I’m fine!”

Angel pouted, clearly not convinced. But she knew her mother well enough to know when pushing the matter wasn’t a good idea. So she merely kept pouting, and returned to eating her meal. Jack let out a small sigh of relief and did the same, though now her mind was racing.

Things were really getting bad. She needed to nip this little crush of hers in the bud. Relationships just weren’t for Jack – she  _ knew  _ that. After the disasters with her first wife, then Moxxi, then Nisha, Jack knew she was done with romance.

Though, all those relationships had a common factor: Angel. It had been her first wife’s idea to hire a donor so she could carry a child, but after Angel was born, she became a lot more distant, and most of the responsibility of raising their daughter fell to Jack. Just a few years later, she asked for a divorce, and she gave Jack full custody without a fight. She still had no idea where she might be now, but frankly, she didn’t care.

Moxxi had her own kids to worry about, so she never formed a bond with Angel. Worse, she never seemed to  _ try.  _ Jack hung out with her four kids whenever she could, but Moxxi tended to act like Angel was barely even there. Add that to her cheating on Jack, and that relationship crashed and burned, still leaving a bitter taste in her mouth after all this time.

Nisha was a considerably more amiable break up, but still one that had happened because of Nisha’s inability to connect with Jack’s child. She just wasn’t good with kids, and Jack respected that, but she couldn’t be with someone who would make her choose who to spend time with. They stayed friends, and when Nisha started seeing someone else, Jack was happy for her.

As for Jack herself, though, she came to accept her fate. Angel was the deal-breaker – one that Jack would choose over every woman, every time.

An idea began to form in Jack’s head; Rhys was a young woman, just entering the years of her life where she wouldn’t want to be tied down. Surely seeing that Jack had a kid would put her off? And if Jack knew she were put off, she’d have an easier time not thinking of the younger woman at every possible hour of the day.

And she did promise to bring Angel by the farm sometime…

Jack looked up from her food. Angel was still eating moodily – and  _ Jack  _ was supposed to be the ‘mopey’ one. Ha.

“Hey, Angel? How about we go somewhere nice this weekend?”

* * *

Of course.

Of freaking course.

Rhys  _ would  _ be absolutely fantastic with children.

Jack had been feeling confident about her plan when she and Angel arrived at Wilhelm’s farm. Angel would have a nice relaxing day of hanging out with the animals and playing in a big open field they didn’t have back home, and Jack would hopefully be rid of her burgeoning feelings for Wilhelm’s daughter.

But no.

The minute Rhys came in and met Angel, Jack could see her plan fall apart. The younger woman was nothing short of charming with her daughter, taking to her like a fish to water. Soon enough, Rhys was showing an ecstatic Angel around the farm, and Jack caught them playing together in the space behind the house.

_ Fuck.  _ If she wasn’t screwed before, she definitely was now.

“Rhys used to babysit the kids in town,” Wilhelm’s voice suddenly said, jolting Jack out of her self-pity party. She glanced over to see him sit next to her on the porch. They both had a great view of Rhys and Angel, who were currently involved in a game of catch with an old ball Wilhelm had dug out of the barn.

“O-Oh?” Jack stammered. “That’s… interesting.”

Wilhelm sighed. “I know what you were trying to do, Jackie. I was there when you and Moxxi broke up.”

“That was…” Jack averted her gaze. “That was over something else. She cheated on me, remember?”

“Yeah. I also remember Angel’s name coming up in a lot of screaming matches.”

“…”

“Look,” started Wilhelm, “Rhys has been staring at her new arm nonstop since she got back from your office. Sometimes I even catch her  _ sighing,  _ like she’s some lovesick heroine from a romance novel.”

Jack studiously avoided looking at the man, even though her heart was pounding in her chest at the implication of his words.

“Know what else? Caught her looking at online programming courses. I didn’t even know she liked that stuff. I didn’t know that about my own  _ daughter,  _ Jack, and she only ended up telling me because  _ you  _ made her feel confident about her skills.”

Finally, Jack looked over. Wilhelm looked upset, but more at himself. He met her eyes.

“I love you like a sister, Jackie, but I’ve also seen you at your worst.”

Jack grimaced. “Yeah. I know. Wil –!”

Wilhelm interrupted her. “But you’ve made Rhys light up in a way I haven’t seen in years. I can’t say I’m comfortable with the idea of you two… together, but if it’s what she wants…”

Jack started. “W-Wil, I’m not even sure it’s what  _ I  _ want!”

He gave her a dour look. “Really. So why are you here, then?”

“For – for Angel, obviously. She wanted to see the farm…”

“And  _ you  _ wanted to see if a kid would scare Rhys off.” He raised his arm to the two playing out in the field, and Jack’s gaze unwillingly followed it.

They were sitting down in the grass now, Rhys teaching Angel how to weave a crown out of the wildflowers growing around them. Angel was practically glowing, and Rhys… Rhys looked absolutely radiant, laughing as Jack’s daughter set a malformed crown on her head.

“It didn’t,” she heard Wilhelm say. “So what are you gonna do about it?”

Jack clenched her fists, letting them rest, white-knuckled, in her lap. “… You can’t seriously be giving me permission to date your daughter.”

“No. I’m giving you permission to ask her out. The rest is up to her.” Wilhelm fixed her with a heavy, intense stare. “Just know that if you hurt my little Roo? I don’t give a shit what you might have done for me in the past. I  _ will  _ hurt you back, tenfold. Understood?”

Jack swallowed, and she found herself nodding. “U-Understood.”

“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go start on dinner.”

And with that, Wilhelm went inside, leaving Jack with her thoughts.

She slowly unclenched her fists. Her eyes wandered back to the girls. Angel was making yet another crown, and Rhys was watching her with an indulgent smile.

Then, as if sensing Jack’s stare, Rhys turned her head and met her gaze. Her smile widened, and she waved at Jack, her yellow arm glittering in the sun.

Jack let herself smile back.

* * *

After dinner (a somewhat awkward dinner, if only because Wilhelm was acting like that whole conversation earlier didn’t happen but Jack was playing it in her head on a loop), Angel fell asleep on the couch, curled up against Rhys. Wilhelm offered to host them overnight, so after tucking Angel into the bed in the guest room, Jack went back downstairs.

She found Rhys doing the dishes. The younger woman smiled at her again, putting the last dish away in the drying rack before turning to face her fully. She was still wearing Angel’s crown, Jack noticed.

“I was thinking of going for a walk. Wanna come with?”

Rhys beamed. “Sure!”

And so here they were, walking around the perimeter of the farm, their path only illuminated by the full moon and twinkling stars overhead. Jack thought she saw Wilhelm’s silhouette watching them from his bedroom window, but as soon as Jack looked up, the light went out.

Jack looked over at Rhys. Maybe doing this during a moonlit walk was a bad idea – she wanted privacy, but Rhys looked unfairly beautiful in the silvery light.

“It’s, uh,” Jack started, only for her mind to go blank when Rhys turned to look at her, doe eyes sparkling with warmth. God, she hadn’t been this tongue-tied since high school. She cleared her throat. “It’s a nice night.”

Rhys hummed. “It is. I guess you don’t get to see stars a lot over in the city, huh?”

“N-No, not really.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Y-Yeah.”

They lapsed into silence again, and Jack tried not to groan. She was accidentally flirting with Rhys before, why was it so hard now that she was  _ trying? _

“Hey, Jack?”

Jack jumped, turning her head to face Rhys. “Yeah?”

“I’m glad you came over today. Angel is a really lovely young lady.”

“She is…” Jack relaxed. “She really likes you.”

“I really like her,” smiled Rhys. “Will you… be visiting more often?”

“I don’t think I can keep Angel from this place now that she knows about it,” Jack replied, laughing a bit. “So yeah. Guess you’ll just have to put up with me tagging along.”

“It’s no trouble on my part,” Rhys replied.

Something in Jack – maybe her usual pride, maybe the part of her that was so lonely, she didn’t know – spurred her to speak.

“Or, you know, you could come visit us,” Jack said. “We could show you around the city. The parts  _ outside  _ of the farmer’s market.”

Rhys blinked, a rosy tint coming to her cheeks. “O-Oh. That… That would be nice. Would you be sending your driver again?”

“Actually, I was thinking I’d pick you up myself. And maybe…” Jack stepped a little closer, letting their hands brush together. She heard Rhys’s soft, sharp inhale as they both stopped walking. “Maybe we can go out… without Angel? Sometimes. If you want.”

_ Smooth, Jack. _

Rhys was looking at her with an expression of utter amazement.

“Are you… asking me out? Like, on a date?”

Jack winced. “… Yes? Is that bad? Did I read this whole thing wrong –!”

“No,” Rhys said hurriedly, stepping closer to Jack. Their chests were touching, and her hands, metal and flesh, found themselves winding around Jack’s wrists. “You didn’t read this wrong at all. I’d love to go out with you, Jack.”

“Oh.” Jack couldn’t help the giddy smile that overtook her face. “Good. Awesome, I mean.”

Rhys grinned back, practically bouncing on her heels. “I thought – I was so sure my Dad was scaring you off!”

“Hah, well, he actually –!”

Jack didn’t get to finish that sentence, because Rhys pitched forwards, and pressed her lips to Jack’s in an excited, albeit chaste, kiss.

The younger woman quickly pulled back, to Jack’s chagrin, looking startled at her own boldness. Jack already found herself missing those soft lips against hers.

“I–!” Rhys stuttered. “I’m sorry! I didn’t – that was too fast, wasn’t it –?”

Jack smiled again, utterly charmed. She pulled Rhys into a hug, silencing her distressed spiral.

“You’re fine, kitten. More than fine. Just, ah…”

She pulled back and gestured her head up to a window of Rhys’s house.

“Maybe not while your Dad is watching, yeah?”

Rhys jolted, turning to see that, yes, Wilhelm was once again visible in his window. And this time, he had the glass open, his scowl visible even in the dim lighting.

“You only get a pass because Rhys did it first!” he shouted.

“Dad!” Rhys whined back. Jack, meanwhile, merely gave Wilhelm a thumbs-up, and waited for him to go back into his room before turning to Rhys again.

“He is  _ so  _ embarrassing,” Rhys mumbled.

“Can’t say I blame him,” shrugged Jack. “You’re cute when you blush.”

“Oh, be quiet.”

Rhys shoved at her, and Jack laughed, stumbling back a few steps. She righted herself quickly, though, and threw an arm around the younger woman’s waist.

“Come on, we’d better head inside.”

Later, after they both went their separate ways to go to bed – though not before Rhys snuck in another quick kiss, the cheeky girl – Jack found herself in a daze, looking up at the ceiling of the guest room with a smile. Angel was snoring gently beside her, the only noise aside from the sound of crickets and the wind outside.

She couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> btw Wilhelm's nickname for Rhys - Roo - is courtesy of StarfruitSpice and NessieFromSpace. it's cute and i love it


End file.
